I first got the idea for this while playing a video game called Assassin's Creed 2. Video games tell better stories than Hollywood now. So there's a a part of the game where you collect Renaissance art to add value to your home. I thought to myself, no one does religious art anymore. Everyone's busy exploring their own nightmares. So after spending some time looking at religious art and what it was trying to accomplish and what it seemed to try to convey to the viewer, this kind of evolved into what it is. The panels all depict a type of suffering. As they ascend they fade into points before vanishing at the cross. The cross is made from wenge with gold leaf celtic knotwork accents. The panels themselves are German silver, and while I etched them I can't take credit for the actual images. If you're curious I encourage you to hunt around because there's a lot of neat stuff out there you probably have never seen. The small accent panels at the foot of each arm of the cross is lacewood, which I thought matched the copper that the box is encapsulated with nicely. The inside is lined with blue crushed velvet. On the underside of the top I've mounted a scalloped mirror because no matter what religion you believe or don't believe in, the heart of all improvement in yourself begins with self reflection. I really enjoyed working on this because aside from seeing a lot of art I haven't seen before or seen in ages, it also forced me to learn a couple new skills.